December 14, 2011

22 Trojan apps discovered on Android Market, get removed by Google

After the desktop version of Windows, Android has quickly become
the second best place to party for all the malware and Trojan app
creators of the world, undoubtedly aided by the popularity and open
nature of the platform. 22 of such Trojan apps were discovered at once
by a company called Lookout Mobile Security, who then quickly informed
Google about them.

These 22 apps, called RuFraud, disguised themselves as wallpaper
apps, horoscopes and games. Once installed, they would send unsolicited
SMSes to a certain paid toll number, from where the fraudsters get their
money and which will then be charged to the user’s monthly bill.
When Google was informed about these apps they were quick to remove
all 22 of them so you don’t have to worry about them anymore, at least
those specific ones.
But now the question is whether Android really is that insecure or is
it just another trick pulled by the anti-virus makers to get your
money. We can’t say for sure but it sure helps to be careful around the
murky waters of the Android Market. After all, that’s what the comments
and the rating system are for. Source